Surreal Estate

I am not sure she didn't give you actionable advice. By my reading of your post, she has suggested to you that your manage your expectations for the schools on your list and to cast a broader net to include programs where you might have better odds for earning an offer of admission.
In the event you ask her for more support, I suggest you phrase your requests for comments on how you can make yourself a more competitive applicant. Try to keep the conversation centered around skill development.
Also, please keep in mind that one hears "no" a lot in doctoral programs. Often, the "no" comes from individuals who are not generally supportive. Sometimes, "no" comes from those who have your best interests in mind. The challenge is figuring out the meaning of the "no" and deciding upon the level of effort one wants to make to turn that "no" into a "yes." (And ultimately, that may require telling someone "no." As in "Yes, I've heard your 'no,' but no, I'm going to do it my way...")

Alexander Alberro (Columbia) and Benjamin Buchloh (Harvard) have both written on Institutional Critique. Possibly some of their former advisees have also chosen this as an area of study and are now teaching at other institutions?
 

Alexander Alberro (Columbia) and Benjamin Buchloh (Harvard) have both written on Institutional Critique. Possibly some of their former advisees have also chosen this as an area of study and are now teaching at other institutions?
 

The Journal of Film and Video (published by the University Film and Video Association) will assign book reviews to graduate students. A couple of people in my MA cohort were published there.

I had to do language exams for my MA and PhD and both institutions had us translate selections from exhibition catalogs. In addition to general language study, I used to practice by reading catalogs that were published in English and my target language, as well as museum online catalogs (highly recommend the Louvre if you plan to take a French language exam). It was extremely helpful in learning art-specific vocabulary.  

Hi all!  I don't see a thread on this, so I thought I'd get one started.  Does anyone have advice about pre-program (or during, of course) preparation for language exams?  I am debating enrolling in a summer course to continue preparing for the exam I will need to take in my first year.  However, I feel that a standard course (usually intended for speakers rather than readers) is not necessarily what I need, and that perhaps self-study or work with a tutor would be more appropriate. What do you think?
How did you prepare?  Do you have any resources to recommend?  Anything that, in retrospect, did not help you?   Thanks in advance

Stanford is worth it.